Saturday, October 13, 2012

Synchronistic Santas

Well, as it turns out I'm not as clever as I thought.  Many of you are familiar with my cyclopian creations, and you may have seen one in particular I made a few years back that I called "Santa Clops"
....a name I thought was quite original...In fact I'm doing a class with this character in the title in at the Art Clinic in Solvang CA this December 1 and 2. 

Well... guess what...unbeknownst to me... Santa Clops was invented about twenty years ago by a fellow named Gig Wailgum.   
Gig has recently published a book that features the exploits of this single sighted Santa entitled: A Visit From Santa Clops or The Fright Before Christmas.  Here is the book description:
"A Visit From Santa Clops or The Fright Before Christmas is a monstrous take on the holiday classic The Night Before Christmas. In this new adaptation, Santa Clops, the beastly one-eyed cousin of Kris Kringle, stops by a slumbering family's house on Christmas Eve to put some coal in the stockings of the children that live there."

You want to know the really weird thing, is that I was unfamiliar with Gig's character, yet...there were some really fascinating similarities...when I was creating my little assemblage dude, I was imagining him to lead a group of nasties called the Polar Opposites from the South Pole.  As it turns out the Santa Clops character in "The Fright Before Xmas" is also from the South Pole with a sleigh driven by penguins (nice touch by the way)


I had a shark/skull dude sleigh:

Now I've only just met, Gig, though, not in person, and he is currently living in Connecticut...which is where I just left only a week ago.  Bummer that I only just made his acquaintance...it would have been great to have met for a coffee or a beer.   I'm sure two cyclopian inspired guys like ourselves would have had plenty to chat about.  Hopefully, next year...when I'm back in CT for Art is You.  

I humbly bow to cleverness of Mr. Gig Wailgum.  Nice job...wish I beat you to the Santa Clops idea...but huzzah for you!  

Check out Gigs website here:
http://www.gigwailgum.com/
Check out Gigs book here:  
http://www.santaclopsbook.com/


Perfect gift for Xmas...bwa ha ha!





2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finally, somebody puts penguins where they belong- the South Pole....!!!!
deb

Teresa Reaver said...

And I commend you Micheal for honoring your fellow artist with the credit of Santa Clops. So many times our stuff gets usurped, unknowingly or knowingly, and no one takes the time to correct it. I'm sure this has happened to you as well. It is always the best karmatic (is that a word?) thing to do. I'll get off my soapbox now. Hats off to you Micheal.